From a Distance
by RoxiWright
Summary: Hermione is struggling with her changing feelings for Ron as well as someone else. Femmslash Luna/Hermione. First Fic
1. A Slight Change

**A/N: I'm only putting this once because I feel it's obvious and implied throughout the rest of the story. I do not Own these characters or anything else. Also please review.**

Hermione had been staring at her books for about an hour unable to concentrate on anything. As much as she'd wanted to come back, she still felt odd, especially with Harry and Ron not around. She sighed into her book again at the thoughts of Ron. She was so sure that after the fight was done he would pay more attention to her but so far he seemed to be slipping further and further away. Since he had began working as an Auror he had no time to even send her an owl. She was so engulfed in her thoughts that she didn't hear the foot steps behind her.

"You seem to be having some trouble. Normally you would have been through ten pages in the time that it has taken you to write just one page." The soft dreamy voice stated in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Luna." She felt her lips lift into a smile upon hearing her voice. "Yeah I suppose you're right. I just can't seem to focus." She turned to face the younger girl. "I'm surprised you would notice something like that though" she said stretching her legs.

Luna just smiled her normal dreamy smile. "I was just headed to the Great Hall for supper and thought might ask if you would like to walk with me."

"Is it that time already?"

Luna nodded. "So?"

Hermione nodded. "Sure I'll walk with you."

When they reached the great hall Hermione and Luna parted ways. Luna took a place at the end of the Ravenclaw table and Hermione took hers between Neville and Ginny.

"Welcome to the world of the living Hermione. Have you been in the library this entire time?" Ginny smiled before taking a bite of a roll.

"I was." She nodded as she filled her plate. "Though I didn't get much accomplished." She grumbled. "Honestly, I've never had so much trouble in school. I just can't focus. How do you do it Ginny?" she asked with a sigh.

"Honestly… you won't like my answer." Ginny smirked. "Quidditch." She said when Hermione just stared at her.

Hermione laughed. "Really? That's how you deal with Harry being gone? Quidditch?"

"I find it's a good way to break away from reality. I see him at times and he writes often, tells me what he and Ron are up to."

Hermione grumbled inwardly but smiled at her friend regardless. "Maybe Ronald and I just weren't meant to be together." She said more to herself then Ginny.

She didn't notice the look that Ginny gave her. "You're worried about that?" she asked softly putting her hand on top of Hermione's. "My brother just isn't good at stuff like this. The closest thing he's had to a relationship before was with Lavender and we all know how that turned out." Ginny rolled her eyes.

Hermione allowed herself to laugh but she didn't feel any better. She faked a smile for the sake of her friend Luna felt her eyes wandering towards Hermione. She'd sat in the library watching her space off for quite some time before approaching her. The older Gryffindor girl sat next to the person she considered to be her best friend smiling and carrying on. Luna felt a twinge of jealousy at the attention that Ginny was receiving from Hermione.

She could tell Hermione's smile was false and wondered exactly what it was that was bothering her. Luna left before supper had ended and headed towards the Astronomy tower. She liked to be up there at night it was a lovely view in her opinion. She sat in silence for a very long time just staring up at the moon.

"I saw you leave early." Ginny said softly sitting next to her friend. "You hardly ever leave a meal early, probably because you always come late."

"I wasn't very hungry." She said in a dreamy voice. "Why didn't you stay with Hermione?"

"She had to go study." Ginny grinned. "I have no idea what though, she already knows everything."

"Perhaps studying is how she clears her head." Luna suggested thinking of the way Hermione had looked staring at the pages of the book in the library.

Ginny shrugged "I'd never thought of it like that." They fell into a comfortable silence staring at the sky together. "You know…" Ginny started. "I bet she could use another friend right now. Hermione, that is. She really misses Ron and he's never been good at writing. When he does bother to write I imagine it doesn't come across very well."

Luna remained silent.

"Well perhaps we should be going." Ginny dusted off her robes and held out her hand to Luna who took it gratefully. The separated ways on the fifth floor Ginny gave Luna a brief hug and a smile. Luna smiled back.

As she reached her own common room she decided that she would take Ginny's advice and try to be a better friend for Hermione.


	2. Being a Friend

When Hermione got a letter from Ron the next day she simply sighed over it, it told her the same thing that all the rest of his letters had. He was enjoying himself, he was safe and he would write again later. Though the story of what he had accomplished was different what she wanted to read still wasn't there. There was no 'I miss you' and he didn't ask her about how she'd been or anything like that. She grumbled into her breakfast.

"Good Morning Hermione, Ginny." Luna said in a sing-song voice. Ginny nodded because her mouth was full and Hermione smiled.

"Good Morning Luna." Hermione said pleasantly taking her attention away from the letter in front of her. "Care to sit down?" she said making room between herself and Ginny.

"That would be lovely." She said taking a seat.

Hermione looked at the letter again then put it out of her mind and turned to a conversation with Luna about the existence of Moon Frogs. Even with Luna's explanation she didn't believe in their existence but she didn't feel like arguing with the younger girl about it.

Luna could see the disbelief in Hermione's eyes but she didn't mind too much because even if she didn't believe she was listening, which, was not something Hermione had always been good at when it came to her ideas. Hermione rarely believed things she could not see or read about.

Luna faced Ginny with a smile. "You have a match tomorrow?"

"Yeah against Hufflepuff, We'll do fine I'm not too worried about it." Ginny said with a nod. "Are you going to be commentating?"

"I'm afraid not." Luna took a sip of water. "It seems the professors don't like my commentating."

"That's a shame." Ginny snickered. "Well I ought to be going we have the field for a practice this morning." She stood, "not that we need it" she add almost as an afterthought. After Ginny left Luna turned her attention back to Hermione who once again was staring off into space.

"Did you get any letters this morning?" Luna asked casually even though she already knew the answer.

"Yeah Ron sent me a letter." Hermione sighed. "What about you? Any letters?" she asked turning the subject to Luna instead.

"Katie Bell sent me a lovely letter." Luna smiled as she recalled the letter.

Hermione looked at Luna in surprise. "I never knew you and Katie were close."

"We were quite close." Luna nodded not saying anything more about it. "So what did Ronald say to you in his letter?"

"The same things he always writes. Can we please talk about something else?"

"What would you like to talk about?"

Hermione shrugged so they sat in silence for the remainder of breakfast. She felt Luna watching her but chose to ignore it. The younger girl had such odd mannerisms in Hermione's opinion.

Luna almost skipped up the stairs smiling as she headed to her classes while Hermione drug her feet silently wishing for her potions class to be cancelled. It didn't matter though, no matter how much she willed it her class still happened as did all of her other morning classes.

She almost didn't feel like going to lunch when it was time. In fact the only reason she went was because Luna sought her out and asked her to.

Hermione held her tongue but she wanted to ask the younger girl why she'd taken such a sudden interest in her. It didn't seem to matter that Hermione hadn't asked because Luna answered the question as they walked to the Great Hall.

"I enjoy being with you Hermione. It's like being with a very good friend."

"Luna you are a very good friend." Hermione insisted unsure of how else to respond.

"That's nice" her voice was soft and dreamy as normal but at the same time there seemed to be something off about it. "Would you care to join me at the lake later?"

Hermione thought about it for a moment then nodded slowly. "Sounds like fun." She knew she needed to think of something other than Ron and Luna had a way of capturing her full attention and helping her forget. "When?"

"Just before supper."

Hermione nodded again as they sat down where Ginny was already sitting.


	3. One Step Forward

Hermione felt rather foolish walking out towards the lake just before sunset. She had a book just in case Luna didn't show up that way if anyone asked she could claim she was studying. Of course that wasn't something she had to worry about because she'd hardly opened her book when Luna showed up.

"You came." Luna said as she sat down next to Hermione.

"I said I would." Hermione shrugged. It was then that she looked up and the younger girl and was awe struck. She noticed that in the fading sunlight Luna's hair almost glowed as did her eyes. And her pale skin had never looked more beautiful. Hermione blushed lightly and looked back down at her book.

"What book is it?" Luna asked curiously.

"Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,"

"That's an interesting book; I hope to someday add some of my own findings to that book or at least one similar."

Hermione nodded at the younger girl. She'd never imagined Luna actually wanting to do something normal. They sat together silently until the light began to fade. Luna read the Quibbler and Hermione continued to study though it was becoming increasingly difficult in the fading light.

Luna held back a giggle upon seeing Hermione struggle to hold her wand to light the book and turn pages. "Try this" she suggested as she took the wand and placed it behind Hermione's ear.

Hermione blushed. "I never thought to do that."

Luna smiled. "We should probably be going in soon anyway. I imagine supper has already started."

Hermione unlit her wand and followed Luna inside. She stared at Luna wondering what to say to the younger girl. They hadn't talked very much but she'd been so content just reading near Luna. She felt lighter around her, like things didn't matter so much. Luna glanced rather shyly at Hermione. She smiled realizing that as usual with Hermione she would have to be the one to break the silence. "Aren't the grounds beautiful in this time of year?"

Hermione nodded. "Hogwarts is very pretty all year round." She smiled. It was getting quite dark but that didn't stop her from looking around. They continued that line of conversation until they reached the main building where there was once again a natural yet comfortable lull in the conversation.

Luna had been right about supper already having begun. They slipped into the noisy Hall unnoticed by all except Ginny who smiled and waved them over.

"I was beginning to wonder if you were going to show at all. Where have you two been?"

"Down by the lake." Hermione shrugged.

Ginny snickered. "It IS a lovely night for a date by the lake I suppose."

Hermione blushed furiously and almost spit out the water she'd just taken a sip of. "It was not a date. We we're studying."

Ginny rolled her eyes. "It was a joke Hermione."

Luna remained silent during the meal. She pushed her food around her plate taking bites only when she noticed Ginny looking at her. She wondered briefly how long she would be able to keep her friends in the dark about the way she was feeling. She gave a dreamy smile to them and stood. "I'm not to terribly hungry. I think I will be leaving now."

"Bye Luna, I enjoyed spending time with you." Hermione said shyly. She felt her cheeks warm though she wasn't sure why.

Luna waved and walked away. She felt lighter after hearing Hermione say she had enjoyed their time together.

"Is Loony alright," Ginny asked Hermione after watching her friend leave? "She seemed kind of out of it."

"She seemed fine earlier."

"Maybe I'll go check up on her in a bit. If I get caught out past curfew you won't punish me will you?"

"Why would you be out past curfew?"

Ginny shrugged and stood leaving Hermione all by herself.


	4. Emotional Interlude

Ginny found Luna exactly where she always found her when something seemed to be wrong with her.

"What's been bothering you? Luna you can't fool me something has been bugging you since the start of the year."

Luna sighed. She wanted to cry. She wanted to tell Ginny everything but she wasn't sure how she would react. When Ginny sat next to her Luna rested her head on Ginny's shoulder. "How did you know you loved Harry?"

"Well," Ginny started "I don't know it was just a feeling. I wanted to be with him all the time and I was scared when he was away or hurt." Ginny shrugged. "I can't explain it Luna. Why do you ask?" Ginny immediately thought of Katie. She knew that the two had been together but she was unsure how long or if they were still together or if Luna was thinking of someone totally different. "Is this about Katie?"

Luna frowned a little. "She wrote me a lovely letter the other day. I was quite happy at first."

"What happened?"

"I'm not in love with Katie. I tried to love her." Luna said in a matter-of-fact tone.

"I'm sorry Luna. Did you tell her?"

"I wrote her back as soon as I realized but I wish I hadn't led her down this path. I never wanted to hurt her or anything." Luna sighed.

"It'll be alright mate. Katie has got pretty thick skin." Ginny said putting her arm around Luna's shoulder. "So is that all that's been bothering you?"

"No." Luna sighed again. "But I would rather try to work things out for myself on this one if that's alright?"

"Of course that's fine. I'm always here for you though Luna."

Luna nodded. They sat like that for awhile longer. Luna was the one that broke the silence. "I imagine we ought to be going soon. Prefects will be doing rounds no doubt."

"Luna have you ever been caught out past curfew before?"

"No. But there is a first time for everything."

The parted ways with a hug like normal only Ginny's hug did little to comfort Luna.

Instead of heading to her common room Luna decided she wanted to go back up to the astronomy tower. She sat there for quite some time just thinking about everything. Her first thoughts were of Katie and how she'd probably broken her heart. She felt bad about it. Luna had never meant to hurt anyone but she knew that if things had continued on then the pain would've been worse for both of them. Then she thought of Hermione. She thought of the way her hair had looked in the fading sunlight and how content she'd looked reading. Luna thought of the joy she'd felt when Hermione had called her a good friend and of the ache she'd felt when she'd got mad at Ginny for calling their time at the lake a date. She was so wrapped up in thoughts of Hermione that when Hermione was in front of her she thought she was dreaming.

"What are you still doing up here Luna?" Hermione asked curiously. She had watched Luna for awhile and had even wondered if the girl was even awake what with how she'd been so still.

"Hermione?" she said softly unsure.

"Are you alright?" Hermione asked holding out her hand to the younger girl to help her up.

"I'm fine. What are you doing up here?"

"I'm patrolling. You shouldn't be out right now. Come on let me walk you back to your common room so you don't get in trouble."

Luna nodded. "It's quite nice up here don't you think. I came up here all the time when you were gone. I rather like it."

"It's against the rules."

"Oh I know but I've never been caught. Well that's not all true. Dumbledore used to find me up here all the time but he would never be upset with me. He said he also liked it up here."

Hermione didn't respond until she had nearly walked Luna the entire way. "If he never said anything about it I suppose I won't either. Though I do wish you would try to be a bit more careful." Hermione wrapped Luna in a hug. "I wouldn't want you to get in trouble and you won't always be so fortunate."

She felt the cold hit her hard when Hermione let her go but she smiled regardless "Thank you for your concern Hermione."


	5. Two Steps Back

The next morning Hermione was slow getting up. She knew that everyone else was already awake because they were excited for the Quidditch match later that day. She wasn't a huge Quidditch fan even so she went to every game to support her house and more importantly her best friend. When she went down to breakfast Ginny was dressed in her Quidditch robes already with her hair pulled back into a tight ponytail. It made sense for her to become captain she was extremely good. Calm and collected when it came to a game. Hermione sat down across from her excited friend.

"Are you nervous?"

"Not at all, Hufflepuff is doing well this year but we'll always be better" Ginny said confidentially.

Luna showed up shortly after Hermione wearing her lion hat as usual. "Good luck today Ginny I'll be cheering for you."

"Thanks Loony," Ginny said affectionately. "I gotta go. One of the beaters is really nervous she's heard some pretty gruesome stories."

Ginny left Luna and Hermione alone together. Luna stared into her cereal bowl and Hermione busily read the paper.

Luna was the one to break the silence. "May I sit with you during the match?"

"Oh that would be wonderful Luna." Hermione said sincerely. "I don't like sitting by myself at matches because I don't really know what's going on."

Luna's smile brightened. "I could try to explain what's happening to you, though if my commentating is anything to go by I'm not any better than you."

They both laughed. Hermione enjoyed the sound of Luna's laugh. It was so cheerful and honest. Luna had also taken a moment to just enjoy the sound of Hermione's laughter.

When it was time for the match the headed to the stands, Hermione nervously grabbed Luna's hand so they didn't get separated in the crowd. Even after they found a good spot to stand Hermione found herself reluctant to let the younger girls hand to leave her grip.

It was a close match, Hufflepuff was indeed a strong team but they were still no match for Gryffindor. Luna and Hermione cheered loudly every time Ginny managed to get the Quaffle into the goal. In her excitement at the end of the game, when Gryffindor's seeker caught the snitch, Luna threw her arms around Hermione's neck and kissed her Hermione leaned into it briefly kissing back. It had been unplanned but it felt nice, nicer than Hermione had ever felt before in such a simple kiss, and nicer than Luna had ever dared imagine. Luna withdrew first nervously blushing when she'd realized what she had done. Hermione stood silently stunned for a long while seemingly unaware of the screaming crowd around her and her younger friend.

"I'm..." Luna started to apologize but Hermione rushed off before she could get the statement out.

Back in the Gryffindor common room there was much celebration. They'd won the first game of the season. Everyone seemed to be talking at once. Ginny was in the center of the attention. They congratulated her and gave her gifts. She looked around the room and but couldn't find Hermione anywhere. After everyone had calmed down she pulled one of the other girls aside. "Have you seen Hermione?"

"I think she said something about a bath." The younger girl shrugged.

Ginny frowned. She'd caught a glimpse of her friend running out of the stands after the game but she had no idea why Hermione had been in such a rush.

Hermione sighed. The water felt good. She liked being a prefect it had quite a few benefits and the bath was just one of them.

She felt her hand move up to her lips why'd she kiss me? She asked herself again. Why did I like it? Did I really kiss her back? She asked herself even more exasperated. She sighed and sunk deeper into the water. She stayed in the bath until her fingers and toes were pruned. She pulled herself out of the water feeling extremely tired. She wanted to talk to Luna almost as much as she wanted to avoid her.

When she made it back to the common room Ginny was the only one still awake. Hermione was surprised to see her.

"You've never stayed out past curfew like this before, at least not without Harry and Ron pulling you along. Where have you been?" Ginny asked trying to hold back a yawn.

"I needed to clear my head." Hermione sighed.

Ginny stood and wrapped Hermione in a hug. "Is everything alright?"

Hermione nodded and looked at her best friend. "I think so. We should probably go to bed."

Ginny nodded. "Hermione, if you want to talk about it we can."

Hermione nodded and headed up to the dorms. "Goodnight Ginny."

Hermione laid down in her bed but she couldn't sleep her mind was plagued with images of a certain blonde.


	6. The Big Break

Hermione managed to avoid Luna all week. She wasn't sure if she could handle seeing the girl that had been filling up her thoughts more and more as of late. That weekend was a Hogsmeade weekend. Hermione had been looking forward to it because Ron had agreed to a date, and she was fairly certain that a date with Ron would help her make sense of everything that was going on in her head. She did love him after all and surely she was attracted to him. That morning she dressed in a simple pair of jeans and t-shirt. They were going to meet at the Three Broomsticks, which would not have been Hermione's choice for a date but she wasn't going to let it ruin her time with Ron.

She was there before him which she had half expected. He showed up late his hair was a mess and he was out of breath. It was a look that she'd grown used to and at one point had really liked. Now it seemed to just grate on her nerves. Hermione tried to push away her already building annoyance.

"Hermione!" He pulled her up into a warm hug. She tried to let his warmth comfort her and it worked only briefly.

"Hey Ron." She said softly. She kissed him gently which caused him to grin, but caused her to want to frown. She seemed to be proving to herself the opposite of what she wanted.

They sat down together and ordered drinks. Ron started talking about his adventures with Harry. Hermione tried to be excited for him but she couldn't. Her annoyance was spiking before he said anything about her and school and she knew he would mention it. Ron didn't disappoint either. "Hermione, it's been so great. You should be with us. I don't know why you went back to school, it's not like you don't already know everything they have to teach you." He said taking a drink. He smiled at her as if he'd given her a wonderful compliment seemingly pleased with himself, which is why when she glared at him he felt confused.

Hermione grumbled at that. "Ronald I like school and there is always more to learn. Besides you are obviously having so much fun without me." She stood unable to test herself any longer and unwilling to cause a scene by fighting with him. "I'm leaving, and honestly I don't think I'm going to come back. I've had enough of this… whatever it is." She kept on a brave face for the sake of not wanting to make anymore of fool of herself. Ron watched her leave dumbfounded. He sat drinking for quite a bit longer letting her words fully sink in. When he fully realized she was gone he paid and left silent and dejected.

She felt the tears threaten to fall as she walked out the door. When she realized he wasn't going to come after her she ran. She ran blindly into the one person she'd been avoiding all week but instead of continuing to run she wrapped her arms around Luna and cried.

Luna stood there a moment unsure of what to do at first. Seeing that the girl wasn't going to let her go she wrapped her arms around Hermione and held her close. "Do you want to go back to the school?" she asked when the older girl had calmed down enough to talk.

"That would be nice." Hermione blushed. "Thanks Luna."

"For what?"

"For being my friend." Hermione frowned. "I've not been a very good friend to you."

Luna frowned and took Hermione's hand in her own and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Hermione has been a wonderful friend."

They walked in silence the rest of the way back to school. Luna didn't mind the silence at all because she got to be close to Hermione. Even so, she thought it was important for her to talk about what happened. "When you want to talk I'll be right here with you." She said in her dreamy voice. Luna led her to the library because she knew that books would be the most comfort to Hermione. They always had been.

Hermione lost herself in the books that surrounded her. Luna stayed by the older girls side quietly watching her as promised.

Hermione sighed. "I broke up with Ron. He just doesn't understand me." She realized that Luna wouldn't leave until they talked. Part of her even wanted to talk to the younger girl about it, she wanted to make sense of everything that she was feeling.

"Are you sure that you don't want to try with him anymore?" Luna asked using the most serious tone Hermione had ever heard from her.

"I don't know. Honestly it has never been a very strong relationship. I mean we don't have anything in common except our friendship with Harry. We are just too different and I thought when he'd kissed me that maybe I would grow to love him and that I would start feeling more towards him. I don't know Luna and I hate that I can't figure out what went wrong exactly."

"Maybe you're over thinking it." Luna suggested. "Are you sure you are even attracted to him?"

"I am, or at least I was at some point." Hermione looked at Luna and her mind wandered back to the simple kisses she'd shared with both Ron and the girl in front of her. "I know I was at some point. But I don't think I am anymore."

"Well at least you have that much figured out then. So if he wants an explanation you have something to start with."

"Yeah." She sighed again and took more consideration of the blonde in front of her. _She is strikingly beautiful_ _the way the light seems to makes her hair glow and her milky white skin looks so soft. I bet it would feel nice to kiss. I imagine it would be a lot different from when I kissed Ron.._. She tried to shake the thoughts away. _She's another girl why are you thinking about her like this. She's just trying to be friendly._ "I'm feeling rather tired Luna. Thanks for listening to me though."

"It's not a problem." Her voice went back to the dreamy tone Hermione had grown accustomed to hearing. Luna watched Hermione walk away and she wondered just how much longer she could keep her feelings a secret. She'd already kissed Hermione once by mistake and had been avoided all week because of it. She sighed and decided to take a walk.


	7. The Confession

Ginny had just gotten back from Hogsmeade and more specifically a lovely date with Harry. She was content to take the long way to the school past the river. She was quite happy that evening as she walked back onto the school grounds. That was until she saw a distressed Luna sitting in by the lake. Her shoulders were slumped forward and her copy of The Quibbler was lying abandoned on the ground. It looked like Luna was crying which was something Ginny had only seen once or twice before.

"Luna." She called trying to get the other girls attention without startling her.

She sat straight up with a jolt at being caught crying. She tried to wipe away her tears "Hello Ginny." She gave her friend a weak smile.

"What's wrong Luna?" Ginny asked cutting right to the point. "And don't tell me nothing or try to change the subject. I know you to well for you to try to avoid this."

"I don't know what to do Ginny." She started to pull at the grass. "I made a big mistake a week ago." She frowned. She wasn't sure whether she wanted to talk about it or not.

"So?" Ginny waited. "Tell me about it. You know I'm always there for you."

"I…" Luna paused. "I don't want to embarrass anyone else."

"You can tell me. I won't tell or say anything. You know that"

Luna thought about it briefly. "I kissed someone after the Quidditch game last week." Luna said still unwilling to give up Hermione's name. she didn't add that it was because of her excitement or because Hermione had held her hand throughout most of the game and so she thought the older girl might be receptive in that moment. She sighed and continued her story. "But this person was in a relationship and I knew this. They avoided me all week which was miserable because I thought we were good friends. We finally talked today and I just…" she frowned and took a deep breath. "I don't know how much longer I'm going to be able to go without telling her how I feel." She sighed miserably. She was so upset she didn't even notice that she'd given her crush a gender.

Ginny quickly went through a list of girls that Luna knew well and considered friends. It was a short list. As she thought about it she realized that it could only possibly be one person. "Luna." Ginny said carefully. "Do you know where she even stands when it comes to that type of relationship?"

"No… No I really don't and I don't know how to ask." She said brushing off the fact that Ginny figured out she was talking about a girl.

"I'm just going to ask you out right Luna because I don't know how to dance around this." She took a deep breath. "Are we talking about Hermione?"

Luna stared at her best friend. She shouldn't have been as surprised as she was that Ginny had figured it out. "Yes." Luna said barely above a whisper. "I think I'm in love with her."

Ginny could feel the conflict inside here instantly. Part of her wanted to encourage Luna because she wanted her friend to be happy. The other part of her worried about her brother, she knew Ron was crazy about Hermione. As she sat there silently she remembered part of their conversation that she hadn't thought about before. "What did you mean when you said she WAS in a relationship?"

"Oh." Luna said surprised. "Today…"

"Today?" Ginny asked trying to get her to continue.

"I was at Hogsmeade just leaving Honeydukes when I ran into her. Well she ran into me is probably more correct. She was really upset. When she finally was calmed enough to talk about what happened she said she broke up with Ron."

"She…" Ginny frowned. "Please…Please don't tell me you were hoping for this Luna because I cannot deal with that."

"No!" Luna exclaimed "Ginny, I just want Hermione to be happy. I didn't WANT them to break up. He made her happy… most of the time anyway."

"I believe you." And she did because she knew that Luna would never try to harm anyone unless they deserved it and even then only in extreme circumstances. She also knew that as far as Luna knew Hermione and Ron were happily in love until recently.

"I don't know what to do. I've never felt like this before." She sighed

"You're a very smart girl Luna. I'd even wager you were just as smart as Hermione. You'll figure out what's best. And I'll be here for you every step of the way."

"Thank you Ginny. That means a lot" Luna stood brushing off her skirt, she held a hand out to her friend. Ginny smiled and when she was standing pulled Luna into a tight hug.

"You're my best friend you know. I don't want you to have to hide stuff like this from me. I mean I was the first person you told about Katie." She laughed. "Now let's go get some supper."

Luna nodded.


	8. Interrogation

Hermione considered skipping out on supper but decided against it when her stomach started growling so loudly she was getting looks across the common room. She stood with a sigh. _I don't know if I can deal with Ginny and Luna. Ginny is going to be upset with me I'm sure. And Luna…_ She said again at thoughts of the blonde._ Why can't I get her out of my head lately! She's a girl. She's Loony Lovegood she makes up silly creatures and reads magazines upside down. She'd probably be freaked out if she knew what I'd been thinking about her. Friends kiss all the time. Right? _She didn't notice anyone until she reached the Great Hall, not until she heard her name.

"Hey, Hermione. Come sit with us." Ginny called sweetly.

"Hi Ginny" she said shyly. "How was Harry?" she said trying to distract the younger girl as quickly as possible. She was unsure where to sit when she reached the table but Ginny made space between herself and the last person Hermione wanted to sit next to, Luna.

"He's well. We had a lovely time. How was Ron? I didn't get to see him this time." Ginny asked casually. Luna sent a worried look Hermione's way then a more threatening glare towards Ginny. Hermione missed it but Ginny didn't.

"He seemed well enough." Hermione shrugged. She refused to cry in front of Ginny. "We…" she frowned unsure of exactly what to tell her friend. "I broke up with him." She settled deciding the truth was the only option anyway. "We had another disagreement today. I don't think I can do it anymore. I can't be with someone that I rarely see and when we do meet up we fight. It's not fair to either of us."

Ginny swallowed the piece of bread she'd been chewing. "He'll be alright Hermione he's got some pretty thick skin. But will you be okay?"

"I…"Hermione hadn't really thought about it but in that moment she realized that she would be fine. "I think I've been prepared for this for awhile now."

"Oh?" Ginny said raising an eyebrow.

"I'd rather talk about it later in private if you don't mind." Hermione said with a light blush.

"Sure, we can talk about it back in the room." Ginny smiled. "Hey Luna, how's Katie?"

"She's well last I heard. Doing what she loves." Luna shrugged. "Why do you ask?"

"Well I just heard that she'd been seen with a woman last month in Ireland." Ginny said easily. She knew she was baiting Luna and she was going to hear about it later but she couldn't think of a better way to gauge Hermione's reaction to lesbian relationships.

"It's probable considering she is on a Quidditch team with several other women." Luna's eyes narrowed.

"Well I just heard she was With this woman, if you know what I mean." Ginny grinned. "It was all over the Prophet at the time."

"It's nobody's business." Luna said becoming uncharacteristically angry. "What Katie does with whomever is her own business."

"She's a big star now though. Shouldn't she keep that stuff under wraps better? I mean what if her team members found out she liked women? What do you think Hermione you roomed with her for a bit didn't you? What if she was like that then? She could've been watching you or something."

Luna resisted the urge to slap Ginny and storm off but only because she'd figured out what she was trying to do. She calmed and waited patiently for Hermione's response.

"I'm surprised at you Ginny. You knew Katie as well as I did. She's a wonderful girl. And if she prefers the company of women it shouldn't matter. Anyway Katie was exceedingly modest when it came to showering and changing, I would never question her morals." Hermione said with ease. "I don't know much about the subject but I've read it's not really a choice anyway."

"Have you ever thought about being with a girl?"

Hermione blushed. She tried to resist the urge to look at Luna but failed. It was a brief glance but enough for Ginny to feel like her blonde friend had a chance. "I don't know." Hermione said going back to her meal.

"Well I think as long as both people are happy it shouldn't matter." She thought briefly about asking Luna but she knew Luna would answer honestly and she didn't want her friend to be forced to answer.

"So does anyone know who this mystery woman is?" Hermione asked. "I mean with Katie."

"I can't recall if she had a name or not. All I know is that Katie didn't deny that there was something going on and that they were old friends." Ginny shrugged. "I'm full. I'll see you later."

Ginny put her hand on Luna's shoulder as she walked past. "Thanks for sitting with us Luna. It's nice having you around."

"Thank you for allowing me to sit with you. I'm not sure how the rest of my house feels about it but I personally think that the houses should interact with each other in a friendlier manner more often."

"Well you're welcome to sit with us whenever you want." Ginny nodded and headed off.

She wondered how much longer either of her friends would stay now that she'd left. She could tell Hermione hadn't been totally comfortable next to Luna. She grinned at her own cleverness. _They'll make a lovely couple_, She thought. As she made her way to Gryffindor tower she wondered exactly how to help her friends along. It wasn't often that she played matchmaker but she could tell her friends were going to need her help.


	9. Tender Goodnight

Luna broke the silence first after Ginny left. "Will I be in trouble if you catch me out after curfew again?" Luna asked easily.

"Are you planning on being out past curfew?" Hermione asked seriously.

Luna gave a dreamy smile but there was a mischievous glint in her blue eyes. Hermione's eyes trailed over Luna's facial features her gaze lingered on the other girls lips a beat longer than she meant them to.

"I'm sorry about that." Luna said when she noticed where Hermione was looking. "I was excited for Ginny and Gryffindor I forgot myself." She looked down at the table.

"It's okay. It's actually quite common for female friends to share a quick kiss when they're excited or happy." Hermione blushed. She didn't know if what she had just said was a fact but she did know that it was going to save them both from a great deal of embarrassment.

"Yeah…" Luna pushed her plate away. "I'll see you around Hermione."

"Bye." Hermione sighed she didn't stick around much longer after her two friends left. She sought out Ginny intending to finish the conversation she'd tabled earlier.

When she got to her room she found Ginny lying on her bed with a book open. "Pretty good book." Ginny said easily.

"I think so."

"So you said you've been prepared to break up with Ron for awhile?" Ginny asked looking up at the older girl.

"Well not exactly. Things haven't really been doing well lately. And the more time we spent apart the easier it was to see why. We don't communicate well at all, we have painfully little in common, and to be honest I'm not sure I'm even attracted to him anymore. "

"I don't suppose you actually said any of this to him when you broke up."

"No…" Hermione felt ashamed of herself. "No I left him at the end of our date saying I couldn't do whatever it was anymore. I ran into Luna crying."

"He's going to be upset I imagine, but you can't force love. That's what Luna says anyway."

"I didn't force love. I love Ron… Just," She sighed. "I love Ron like a brother. Well I assume that's the kind of love I feel for him. I've never had brothers so I can only guess but it's the same thing I feel for Harry. The difference was that at one point there was also attraction… and now that's gone too."

"Sounds like valid reasoning to me." Ginny smiled.

"I have to go patrol Ginny." Hermione said looking at her watch. "You better be out of my bed when I get back."

"Alright. Tell Luna I said goodnight."

"What makes you think she'll be out?"

"She'll be where she always is when she's got a lot on her mind. She does have a lot on her mind after all."

Hermione waved and smiled. She saved the astronomy tower for last on her patrol figuring there was no way Luna would stay out that late. When she made her way up those final stairs she sighed. There was Luna sitting crossed legged staring at the sky.

"The stars are lovely tonight."

"Lovely." Hermione repeated rather dumbly though she had not tilted her head towards the sky. Her eyes were fixed on the younger girl. "Luna, how do you feel about Katie?"

"She was my first kiss…" Luna practically whispered. "I was watching her practice by herself one day because I wanted to know more about the sport. She smiled brightly at me when she noticed me there. She asked me if I wanted to know a secret about her. When I said yes, she tilted my face up to hers and leaned in and kissed me. Right there on the Quidditch pitch where anyone could have seen. I wasn't sure what to say. I like Katie. She's very nice." Luna turned suddenly towards Hermione. "Why do you ask?"

"That stuff Ginny said about Katie… I was just wondering what you thought I guess."

"I think people can't choose who they desire to be with. And if it's not a choice who's to say one way is better than another." Luna sighed. "Are you going to walk me back to my tower again tonight?"

"Do you want me to?"

"Well you're company is always welcome and it would be the most effective way to stay out of trouble I imagine."Luna smiled. "But if I make you uncomfortable then you may leave me to my own devices."

"I'll walk you back." Hermione smiled when they reached Ravenclaw's entrance Hermione pulled Luna into a hug. "Goodnight Luna, oh and Ginny says goodnight as well." Then she surprised herself by kissing the younger girl on the forehead. "I'll see you in the morning."

"Goodnight." Luna felt her entire face heat up as she turned away from Hermione. _She kissed me,_ was the only thought going through her head as she slipped into her bed that night. She fell asleep with a smile on her face.


	10. A Lot To Consider

Hermione looked up from her book only when the light had been blocked out. The figure standing over her smiled. Hermione smiled back. It didn't take her any time at all to figure out who it was even in shadow.

"Hey Hermione, I have a question." Luna said taking a seat in front of the older girl

"Yes?"

"Have you ever kissed a girl before?"

"Not really." Hermione replied her cheeks turning a light shade of pink. "Are you going to change that?"

"Would you like me to?"

"I think it could be nice." She smiled. She found herself leaning in meeting Luna's lips shyly with her own. Luna pulled Hermione in closer. She ran her tongue lightly over the older girl's lips asking for entrance. Hermione granted it. She let out a needy moan at the contact. As the kiss became more and more heated Hermione found her hands tangled in Luna's hair then under her shirt scratching lightly over the younger girls back. She pulled back only long enough to breath. Before too much longer she felt Luna's hand running up and down her bare thigh and she was suddenly glad she'd chosen to wear a skirt that morning instead of her jeans. She couldn't suppress her moans anymore when Luna left a trail of kisses from her mouth down her neck.

Hermione awoke with a jerk much earlier than needed. She was covered in a light sweat and could still feel an embarrassing tingle lower in her body. _What the hell is going on with me?_ Hermione frowned and headed towards the showers with her clothes for the day. She turned the cold water all the way up. _Luna, I'm dreaming about Luna of all people. What am I going to do? She's going to know somehow. She'll be able to sense it or something she is so freaking perceptive. _She showered away her frustrations first only turning on the hot water when she felt calmed enough that not even the object of her dreams walking into the showers would get her going again. _I don't even like girls like that_. She sighed wishing she could prove it to herself.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the voice of her best friend, "You're up early. I thought you didn't have any morning classes today."

"Yeah, dreams woke me up." She sighed. _I could experiment to figure it out._ She thought at this point her back was still towards Ginny. _I could just take a peek at Ginny and if it does anything for me then the answer is obvious._ "You're up early yourself."

"I like to get out on the pitch when the sun is first rising. It's like a form of meditation for me." Ginny shrugged.

"Sounds good." Hermione took a deep breath. As she turned she decided she couldn't look. Her eyes dropped to her feet before she could even glance. "See you later Ginny."

"Bye," Ginny said only partially paying attention to her friend.

As she walked down the stairs she couldn't help but sigh, she still felt tired instead of making her way to the Great Hall or the Library she headed outside. It was a bit chilly but not bad enough for her to regret only wearing a hoodie. She wandered towards the spot she'd dreamt about. _It's a pretty spot, secluded too. I bet it would be easy to make out with someone here. Not that I want to or anything. _She leaned back against the tree and closed her eyes allowing the morning sunlight to warm her face. It didn't take her long to drift into a light slumber. And that's how Luna found her, sleeping against the tree, lips slightly parted, her face relaxed and worry free. She hated to disturb the Gryffindor girls rest but she also didn't want her to get sick or miss classes. And aside from that she knew that Ginny was looking for her.

"Hermione" Luna said softly as she squatted down to be at the older girls' level. "Hermione" she said a bit louder. She ran her hand over the other girls cheek pushing her hair out of her face hoping the touch would rouse her from sleep.

"Luna?" Hermione mumbled not fully awake. She opened her eyes to see the other girl sitting quite close to her, hand still on her cheek. "Am I dreaming again?"

"I don't think so." Luna said with a dazzling smile.

"Why are you here? If I'm not dreaming. Why am I here?" Hermione leaned into the warmth of the hand on her face.

"Ginny asked me to come find you." She said easily. She could feel a blush creeping up her neck."As for why you're here I haven't the faintest idea."

"Oh." As she said this Luna's hand dropped from her face. Hermione tried not to let her disappointment show at the loss of contact. "What time is it?"

"Time for breakfast, the others have just now started to file in. Come on." Luna stood and held out her hand for the brunette.

Hermione took the other girls hand. But instead of letting go when she was standing she pulled Luna into her. "You're sure I'm not dreaming?"

"Why would you think your dreaming" Luna asked nervously.

"Because yo…" she was about to finish when a few girls from Slytherin walked by. One of them made a gagging noise.

"Look Loony's got a girlfriend." The one that made the gagging noise said in a mocking tone

"I always knew there was something wrong with her." Another sneered.

Hermione pulled away slowly sure she was fully awake and more than a little embarrassed. "I'm sorry Luna."

"For what? They would've made fun of something else regardless. I am Loony Lovegood after all." Luna her shoulders sagging a bit.

It was the first time Hermione had ever seen anything bring Luna down. "You're not Loony, that's a stupid and mean nickname." And as she thought about it she realized she regretted ever saying it herself.

"You're very kind Hermione." Luna smiled. "Ginny is worried about you. We should be going now."

"Yeah," Hermione agreed, following Luna to the Great Hall. They walked in silence Hermione afraid that if she talked she would spill everything about the dream she'd had and Luna afraid that if she said anything at all she wouldn't be able to stop talking

When they arrived breakfast was almost completely cleared away already, only a few people lingered. Ginny was among those few. "Hey, where have you two been?" Ginny grinned. "You both got mail. Lucky for you I recognized both the owls." Ginny handed them each their letters.

"Thanks Ginny." Luna smiled. She gave a little frown over the envelope though. "I'll read it later."

"Me too." Hermione agreed. She recognized the handwriting instantly. "Not sure I'm ready to hear from him."

"It's from Ron?" Ginny asked eyes wide. "Hermione you have to read it now."

Hermione sighed and opened the letter.

_Dear Hermione,_

_I'm sorry. I guess I just don't understand you like I thought I did. I CAN understand that you don't want to be with me even if I'm not entirely sure why. I would like to remain friends if it's possible but it will take me some time so this will probably be the last letter I send you for awhile. I just want you to know that even though things didn't work out like I imagined they would I love you. Goodbye Hermione. _

_Always yours_

_Ron Weasley_

Hermione sighed again. "Do you think he expects a response?" She asked unsure of what to do.

"I don't know. That letter doesn't sound at all like my brother." Ginny stared at it. "It's like he expected you to break up with him or something."

Luna frowned. She wondered if her letter would be anything like that, Katie calmly accepting that things between them were over. "I have classes to get to." Luna said easily. "Bye."

"See ya Luna." Hermione said only half paying attention. Ginny gave a brief wave.

As soon as Luna was out of earshot Hermione turned to her best friend. "Ginny I've got a problem."

"Alright?" Ginny nodded to indicate she was ready to listen.

"I think another reason I broke up with Ron is because I might be attracted to someone else." Hermione sighed. "I mean that's obviously not the only reason… but I just don't know what to do. I'm pretty sure I really like this person and I'm afraid if I don't say something soon I'm going to miss my chance."

"Pretty sure you like them?"

"I uhh…" she blushed. "I had a dream about them, and I've been thinking about them a lot lately. It's like I can't stop wondering about it."

"So go for it." Ginny shrugged. She's always been convinced that when it came to relationships it was better to make your interests known.

"Don't you think it's too soon? I've only just barely ended it with Ron."

"You have a point." Ginny said with a nod. "Well maybe you tell the person how you feel, then you take things really slow if they reciprocate."

"I don't know Ginny."Hermione sighed. "I could try that."

"Listen I have class. Tell her how you feel, what could it hurt really. Then you can decide if it's to soon or not."

"I never said it was a girl!" Hermione exclaimed a fierce blush gracing her face.

Ginny grinned at her friend but didn't make a comment as she left.


	11. Distracted

_Luna,_

_I love you, I love you more than I've ever loved anyone. Didn't that trip to Ireland mean anything to you? Haven't I done everything right? Why are you doing this to me? is it because I'm gone so often? I can quit Quidditch for you. You said there is someone else. Who? Who could possibly love you more than I do? And why couldn't you wait until I visited to tell me? Why would you leave me in a letter? I always thought you were better than that. I want to talk about this Luna. I can't just let you go. Not after all this time we've been together. We were together before the war. I came back to fight because you asked me to. Is it Ginny? You seemed to be fond of her. I'll be back there soon. Can't we wait and just talk about this some more? Please that's all I'm asking for is a chance to talk._

_Yours forever_

_Katie_

Luna sighed as she read the letter again. She could've guessed Katie wouldn't make it easy. She knew it was going to be difficult to consider things over until Katie conceded.

She quickly wrote her reply. She agreed to meet with Katie to talk. Unlike in previous letters she didn't sign it affectionately nor did she ramble and put sweet nothings into it. Her note was short and to the point. She knew that it wouldn't take long for Katie to receive her letter which, she theorized, meant it wouldn't be long before she would come looking for her.

She hardly paid attention in Care for Magical Creatures, arguably her favorite class. She managed to blow up her cauldron in Potions. And in Charms she didn't accomplish anything.

She hated feeling so distracted by something other than her own mind. She was worried about how talking with Katie would go. She knew the older woman was quite taken with her they had been together for quite awhile after all.

When Luna was released from her final class of the day she decided she wasn't hungry and headed straight for her common room. She sat by the window and read for a short while but got lost in her thoughts again quite quickly. _Maybe Katie won't try to convince me to stay. Heck I'm not sure I really want to leave her for a girl I'm not even sure is interested. And Katie, I've been with Katie since my fifth year. 3 years feels like such a long time. _Luna sighed as she made her way to her room. When she got there she rummaged through her trunk to pull out her photo album. It was filled with many good memories. _I still can't believe she took me to Ireland with her. We had a wonderful time. I care for her. What am I going to do? _Luna sighed

"I haven't the faintest idea of what to do about all this." She said to no one. As she thought about everything a realization hit her. _Oh. I kissed Hermione before I even knew where things stood between Katie and I, she's going to be even more upset about that then she's already going to be. I should go see Hermione, It really can't do any harm to talk to her can it?_

Luna sighed and rolled out of bed. Her movements are automatic as she wanders through the halls in a daze searching for Hermione. She didn't have to search long though because Hermione was leaving the library on her way to the Great Hall.

"Luna!"Hermione exclaimed more excited then she'd meant to be. "Care to walk with me?"

Luna smiled. She could feel herself relax some. "That would be quite nice I think. You were just the person I was looking for."

"I am?" Hermione asked shyly a light blush gracing her face. "You don't need help with a paper or something do you?" she crossed her fingers on the hand that was furthest away from the other girl.

"Not at all. I just wanted to see my dear friend." Luna grinned. "I've feeling rather distracted today."

Hermione gave a smirk _more than usual, _she thought looking at Luna.

"I'm usually quite focused when it comes to my studies." Luna said once again causing Hermione to wonder about whether the girl next to her might have some mind reading abilities.

"You are?" Hermione joked. "So what happens to be the problem today?"

"Just a lot on my mind." Luna smiled at her friend. "You seem to be in awfully good spirits."

"Well why shouldn't I be? I have wonderful people like you in my life."

Luna blushed at the compliment.

"Hey Luna, will you take a walk with me later?" Hermione said suddenly.

"We're walking now." Luna pointed out.

Hermione laughed nervously. "You're right. I meant a more private walk, maybe after supper."

Luna smiled. "Sounds lovely."


	12. Us

Hermione's heart was pounding as she made her way up to the astronomy tower where she knew Luna would be waiting for her. That night it was her first stop on her patrol.

She slowed as she got closer to the top going through what she was going to say one last time before she saw the other girl. When she reached the top of the stairs she smiled at the breathtaking blonde, all her practiced words forgotten.

"Luna" Hermione said softly so as not to startle the other girl.

"Hmm?" she responded sounding rather dazed. "Isn't it beautiful? I enjoy evenings most of all. Everything is so peaceful. It's my favorite time I think"

"You're like a firefly. You're drawn to the night" Hermione giggled "My firefly." She added softly to herself. "Will you walk with me while I patrol?"

"That is what I agreed to." Luna smiled. They began to walk down the stairs. "What did you want to talk about?"

"Everything," Hermione replied quite seriously.

Luna couldn't help but giggle. "Everything is a lot of stuff for one evening walk. Maybe we should narrow it down a little."

"Alright, how about us." Hermione said blushing.

"Us?" Luna questioned.

"You and I." Hermione pointed at Luna then herself, "Us."

"What about us?"

"For starters…" Hermione paused. "Could there be an us?" She blushed.

"Us." Luna repeated dumbly at a loss for words. When Hermione frowned she realized she was going to miss her chance if she didn't say something. "I would like that very much."

"Really? That's Gr…" Luna cut Hermione off before she could finish.

"I would like more than anything for there to be an us. But there are some things I need to take care of before I can feel comfortable with it."

Hermione's face fell. "Oh." She looked down at her feet. "But you… you like me? Right?" she asked shyly.

"More than anyone." Luna said honestly. "And I don't want there to be anything in the way of our possible happiness together which is why it can't happen yet."

"Can you tell me?"

"Katie." Luna frowned. "Katie and I have been in a relationship for three years, I just recently sent her a letter telling her…" She paused unsure of whether she wanted to disclose the fact that she more than liked Hermione. "That I was not able to be with her any longer because I wasn't in love with her and it wasn't fair for me to string her along. The letter I got earlier was from her. It seems she didn't accept what I said as fully or easily as I had hoped."

Hermione looked down at her feet. "So… You're still with Katie then?"

"I don't know exactly where we stand. I've agreed to meet with her soon and talk about it. I can't be with her anymore. But I can't start a relationship with you until I know that she accepts it's over between us."

"I see." Hermione frowned. "If that's the case then why'd you kiss me before?"

"Because I've liked you for quite awhile now and I was excited. You'd held my hand most of the match." Luna sighed. "I feel rather awful about that actually. I kissed you even though I knew you were in a relationship, and even though I didn't know where things were with Katie."

"Don't feel too bad. I kissed you back." Hermione blushed. They were nearing Ravenclaw tower. "It was nice. Besides we all make mistakes sometimes."

"You're very kind." Luna smiled.

"I really like you."Hermione shrugged "That makes it easy to be kind." Hermione stopped in front of the entry to Ravenclaw's common room. "I'll wait for you to be ready okay?" She kissed Luna on the cheek "Goodnight my Firefly."

"Hermione wait."Luna said shyly when the older girl turned to leave. She pulled her close and kissed her slowly. "Goodnight. And thank you. I imagine it will be much easier to handle things with Katie now that I know how you feel."

Hermione blushed as Luna turned away.

Luna smiled. _Was there any way I could've resisted kissing her again? Knowing that she likes me to? _Luna shook her head knowing the answer. As she headed towards her bed she realized that she wasn't going to worry about the looming conversation with Katie anymore.


	13. Bliss

Hermione put her fingers to her lips in a happy daze as she walked back to her common room, forgetting about the rest of her patrol. _She kissed me and she likes me. She really likes me._ She smiled. It was a small smile at first but it very quickly grew into a huge grin. "She likes me!" Hermione exclaimed to herself. She felt the laughter bubble up from somewhere deep inside her.

She was still grinning like a fool when she walked into the common room. Ginny spotted her instantly.

"Somebody looks happy." Ginny said easily, amusement filling her eyes. "Catch someone from Slytherin out or something?"

"Ginny." Hermione stared at her best friend for a moment then she laughed and pulled Ginny into herself for a hug. "Ginny! You're bloody brilliant." Hermione laughed. "I could kiss you right now!"

"I know I'm brilliant, but why don't you save the kissing for someone else." Ginny laughed along with the older girl. "Now why am I so brilliant?"

"Oh I've had the most wonderful day today." Hermione sat, "Was it really this morning I woke up so confused?"

"Are you going to clue me in here or not?"

"I took your advice." Hermione said with a bright grin. "I've never felt happier Ginny. Never. I feel so light right now."

"You took my advice?" Ginny questioned seriously trying to get Hermione to say something that made sense.

"When you said I should just tell her how I feel. This morning, you remember." Hermione tried to calm down enough to tell the story. "I thought about it all morning, but when I saw her before dinner, I greeted her way more enthusiastically then I meant to because I was so happy to see her and she looked so cute with that lost look on her face then she smiled at me and everything just… it clicked." Hermione sighed it was a content sound. "So I talked to her tonight. I told her how I was feeling and she likes me. She kissed me Ginny and it felt amazing." Then Hermione frowned. "But she says we have to wait. She's got something to take care of."

"You…" Ginny stared at the girl in front of her. "Who are you and what have you done with the real Hermione."

"I am the real Hermione. Why would you think I'm not?"

"Hermione, you're saying you took my advice, AND you're talking about liking another girl as if it were the most common thing in the world. YOU. Hermione Granger." Ginny shook her head. "You snapped at me this morning when I suggested your crush was a girl."

"I did?"

"You did."

"This morning feels like so long ago." She sighed again.

"So… are you going to tell me who this lucky girl is?" Ginny asked raising an eyebrow. "Or are you going to make me guess?"

"I…" Hermione frowned. "I don't know if she's okay with me saying anything." She realized.

"If I guess will you tell me the truth?" Ginny said already figuring who Hermione was talking about.

"I suppose that would be alright." Hermione smiled. "But you only get 3 guesses"

"I only need one." Ginny grinned "I guess Luna Lovegood."

Even if she'd planned on lying about it as soon as Ginny said Luna's name Hermione broke out into a grin. "How'd you know?"

"I just guessed." Ginny shrugged. "She wouldn't mind me knowing. She told me about Katie when they started out."

"Katie…" Suddenly Hermione stood rather upset. "You KNEW about Katie and Luna when you asked about her the other day. You knew the person Katie was with was Luna, didn't you think mentioning that would upset her? You know they're going through a break up right now."

"Relax. Yes I knew. But I asked for her sake." Ginny sighed. "Look I knew Luna liked you. That's why I guessed her. She didn't know how you felt about same-sex couples. I used Katie to find out. How was I supposed to know you were going to make the first move? I mean no offense Hermione but you're not usually one to act without a great deal of thinking beforehand. And I knew Luna wouldn't make a move if she thought she'd be rebuffed. And she had a good reason to think that she might be. You avoided her for an entire week because of one simple kiss."

"I was surprised. I'd never thought of another girl like I'd been thinking about her. At least not that I'm aware of, besides I was with Ron at the time. What else could I have done?" Hermione grumbled. "Anyway none of that matters now. We seem to be on the same page."

"I'm happy for you." Ginny gave her friend a genuine smile. "So what's this thing she's got to take care of before she can be with you officially?"

"Katie. Apparently she didn't quite accept that things were over and Luna said she wants it to be clear before we start dating." Hermione said with a bit of a pout. "But I can wait for her. She's just trying to start things off right."

"I always said she was a clever girl." Ginny shrugged, "Just a bit odd sometimes," she gave a long yawn and smiled. "I think it's time for bed. Goodnight Hermione."

"Goodnight Ginny."


	14. The Meeting

**A/N: Lynettecullen You're quite sweet thank you for your kind word I'm glad you're enjoying it. Now onto chapter 14.**

Luna Had been eagerly awaiting the weekend she'd finally gotten word back from Katie and the plan was to meet at Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop. Luna would've preferred a more neutral environment but she wasn't going to be to stingy about the setting since the end result would hopefully still be the same. As soon as she had found out she informed Hermione.

"I'm meeting with Katie this weekend." Luna said softly. They'd been sitting rather content in the library.

Hermione looked up at Luna with a half smile. "Are you nervous?"

Luna sighed. "A little. I know in the end I'll be able to leave her because I have you. But I never meant to hurt her. She's a great person and deserves to be loved."

Hermione nodded and kissed Luna on the cheek affectionately "You know, that's one of the reasons I like you so much. You're always so concerned for others."

Luna blushed. "I find that loyalty to friends is quite important."

Hermione nodded. "I agree. Anyway don't be nervous. You're a wonderful person Firefly," Luna smiled at the nickname that Hermione had already taken to calling her. "If Katie loves you like she claims she'll want only your happiness. She's an understanding person. I imagine everything will go fine."

When the weekend finally came Luna kept Hermione's words in mind as she prepared herself for the meeting with Katie.

Luna smiled at Katie when they met up until she leaned in for a kiss. Their lips met but only briefly. Luna frowned  
>"Come on don't be like that" Katie said as she sat down. "Can you honestly say you don't like kissing me anymore?"<br>Luna sighed. "It's enjoyable, but I'm afraid kissing you at the moment will lead you into a false sense of security"  
>"How so?"<br>"I'm not in love with you. I am willing to talk to you because we're friends. But I'm not going to be able to be with you anymore."  
>Katie looked down at her tea, "But you've said you love me. We've made love countless times. You can't do this to me... I don't understand why this is happening."<br>"I'm in love with someone else. How can you expect me to make you happy when I'm thinking of someone else" Luna frowned. "What would you do when I call out somebody else's name when we're making love?"  
>"You'd never do that" Katie attempted to smile but it didn't reach her eyes. "You're my sweet Moonbeam, You're far to kind to do something like that. You'd just as soon cast a spell to keep yourself quiet."<br>"Katie," Luna reached across the table and took her hand, "You will ALWAYS be special to me. You were my first. But it wouldn't be fair for us to continue like this. Please, just let me go."  
>"Who is it?" Katie asked barely holding back her tears "Will you at least tell me that much?"<br>Luna gave a small smile. "It's Hermione" Luna looked down. "I've liked her for quite some time but I never even allowed myself to imagine something could come from it. Even if this were still the case I know it's not fair that you've given me your heart completely and I can't offer my own in return."  
>"Granger!" Katie exclaimed outraged. "That plain Jane know-it-all is the reason you're leaving me? What does she have that I don't?"<br>"I can't explain it; I've asked myself that very question many times. I just... I love her"  
>Katie sighed in defeat. "Alright Moonbeam, I give up. If she makes you happy then so be it." Katie gave a weak smile. "I love you Luna, I always will I imagine. But I want you to be happy. And hey, if it doesn't work out with her I'll always be there waiting."<br>"I hope you find happiness Katie, You really do deserve it."  
>Katie stood. "May I have one last kiss?"<br>Luna smiled she met Katie halfway for a gentle and sweet kiss.  
>Katie ran her hand over the younger girl's cheek. "My sweet Moonbeam, I am going to miss you."<br>Luna put her hand over Katie's "I'll always be your friend."  
>With a nod Katie left she disapperated as soon as she got outside not wanting to stick around long enough for Luna to see her crying.<p>

**A/N: I actually like Katie. Really I do so I feel a little bad for making her cry but it had to happen. That's all. Anyway if future updates are a little slow coming please bear with me. It's only three weeks until Finals and I did rather poorly on my midterms so I need to get my butt in gear.**


	15. Together

**A/N: Second to last chapter guys Thanks to all who've read so far hope you've enjoyed it. :)**

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><p>Luna made her way back to the castle well before everyone else. The walk was good for her it cleared her head. <em>That went better than I thought it would<em>. She smiled to herself as she realized that she was now free to be with the person she really wanted to be with.

Back at the castle Hermione was nervously waiting for Luna to return. Ginny sat next to her in the library.

"Hey stop freaking out so much. She wants to be with you." Ginny said trying to calm her friend down. "Do you really think Katie is going to change her mind? Do you think she'd be able to even if she tried?"

"I don't know Ginny," Hermione chewed at the tip of her quill, she'd hardly written anything down for her Ancient Runes paper. "Katie is famous and way prettier than me and she has been with Luna for a long time,"

Ginny cut her friend off. "Just trust me on this. Things will work out for you two."

"This is one of those times where you have more information than I do isn't it" Hermione asked suspiciously. "Can't you just TELL me what's going on?"

"I think Luna should tell you herself. Actually she will soon I imagine. Anyway I'm going to go Hermione."

Hermione nodded absentmindedly.

When Luna found Hermione she was still chewing on the end of her quill staring mindlessly into the pages of her book.

"I talked to Katie today" Luna said softly hoping not to startle the other girl.

"I know." Hermione said brow knitting together. "How'd it go?"

"It went better than I expected." It was then that it dawned her that Hermione had probably been just as nervous as she had. She wrapped her arms around the older girl and kissed the top of her head. "We worked things out and she realized that you're what's best for me."

Hermione blushed and turned rather awkwardly in her chair so the she could be facing Luna a little more. "So this is it then? We can be together now?"

"We can be together now." Luna smiled brightly.

Hermione grinned. "Well will you let me stand up so we can seal the deal properly?"

Luna gave a confused nodded stepping back enough to allow the older girl to stand. When Hermione was ready she pulled Luna into her by the wrist. Their lips met shyly at first but it grew heated quickly. Hermione ran her tongue over Luna's bottom lip seeking entrance into her mouth, which she granted with an almost inaudible moan. Luna's finger gripped at Hermione's waist. She could feel herself beginning to become unraveled so she broke apart from the older girl breathing heavily.

"What?" Hermione asked rather dazed, unsure why they'd broken apart.

"Either we need to stop or find a much more private place. I've wanted this for so long now that I don't know if I'll be able to hold back."

Hermione turned a bright shade of red."I've never…" she looked down at her feet. "I'm still…" she closed her eyes "I'm not ready for that yet Firefly. We only just started officially dating and I've never done that before."

Luna turned a light shade of pink at the older girls admission. "We don't have to do anything you don't want to do Hermione."

"I'll be ready soon I think. I mean I've been dreaming about it but…" as she realized what she let slip her blush deepened.

Luna grinned but wisely didn't comment.

"I mean… Can we start this conversation over again where I'm not telling you all of my embarrassing secrets?"

Luna smiled and gave the older girl a chaste kiss. "Alright, I'll start over. I really enjoyed that."

"It was nice." Hermione agreed "I think I'm going to like doing that many more times."

"Me too, but I promised Ginny I would tell her how everything went with Katie, so I think we should probably leave now before I decide I want nothing more than to snog you all day." Luna took Hermione's hand. "She said she'd be in the Great Hall waiting for us. I saw her on the way here."

"Let's go." Hermione smiled and gave the hand in hers a gentle squeeze.


	16. The Epilouge

Ginny smiled at her friends, though they had no idea she'd been watching them. Luna was lying in Hermione's lap with a copy of the Quibbler. Hermione was holding a text book with one hand and resting the other on the head of the younger girl. The two had been together for a good three months.

The teasing had died down significantly though it had been minimal in the first place; there weren't many people brave or stupid enough to question two people that had basically been leaders in the war about the nature of their relationship. The few people that had teased them found themselves on the wrong end of one of Ginny's hexes.

"Hey Hermione," Luna said softly lowering her magazine to look at her girlfriend.

"Hmm?"

"I love you." Luna gave a broad smile.

"I love you too Luna," Hermione smiled back. "Now what is it that you want?"

"Ginny has been watching us for about five minutes now. I imagine we should invite her over."

"You're probably right. She doesn't like to disturb us without an invite since the last time." Hermione grinned at Luna's blush. "Though honestly you're so loud it's a wonder she didn't know there was something going on before she walked in."

"We're in a perfectly public place, and she can clearly see that we aren't doing anything close to that." Luna's face cooled a bit. "And as I recall there was a silencing charm on the room."

"But she doesn't have any idea what we're talking about. And there may have been a silencing charm, but I'm almost certain we locked the door."

"That's true." Luna nodded. "Well we should wave her over now to let her know it's safe. No naughty talk from us."

Hermione tilted her head back in laughter, "You're right," as she said this she waved their friend over. "Luna noticed you watching us. She thought you might be afraid to interrupt us."

"It was you that said that. I merely suggested we invite her over. Had she stood there any longer the Nargles might've begun messing with her."

"I doubt that." Hermione shook her head at her eccentric girlfriend.

"I was just admiring how happy you both look is all. It's hard to believe that it's been three months already."

"You're right, I can't believe I went without her for so long." Hermione said with a grin. "So what's up?"

"Oh Right! I got a copy of the Prophet this morning have you seen it?" Ginny asked with a grin. "Guess who'd on the front cover."

"Who?" Luna asked at the same time as Hermione saying "Someone we know."

"Katie Bell. It seems she's come out to the public with a new girl." Ginny handed the paper to Luna. On the cover was Katie smiling hand in hand with another woman. "She's a reporter."

"They met when Katie did an interview last month. Seems like everyone is happy, I've been scouted by the Harpies, Katie is taken and you two…" Ginny smiled. "Well I've never seen either of you any happier than you are now."

The two girls smiled at each other. "To be honest I don't think I've ever felt happier." Hermione said easily.

"That's true for me as well"

"And to think you two thought at one point that you'd never be together." Ginny gave a full belly laugh. "We should probably get inside soon. They're going to have the celebration soon Gryffindor won the cup again this year."

"That doesn't surprise me." Luna smiled

"Nothing surprises you Firefly." Hermione said leaning down to kiss the younger girl. "Now get off my lap so that we can go inside."

"But your lap is so nice." Luna nuzzled into Hermione's leg. "Alright, we'll go celebrate."

"We'll catch up in a bit Ginny, save me a place at the table." Hermione said as Ginny stood.

"Will do." Ginny nodded leaving the blonde and the brunette alone.

When they were alone together Hermione kissed Luna. "You know you should probably sit with your own house for this."

"I have things to find anyway, it seems that some people have hidden them again this year. I imagine it's their way of saying they'll miss me."

Hermione shook her head. "You only ever see the good in people Firefly,"

"Is that a problem?"

"No. It's just one more thing I love about you." Hermione said kissing her girlfriend on the nose. "Ginny is waiting for me. But we'll save you a place with us on the train."

Luna nodded and began to walk off. "I can't wait." she said softly to herself.

Hermione took hold of Luna's wrist before she got too far ahead. She pulled the younger girl into one more kiss. "You sure you don't want help finding your things?" Hermione asked softly almost mumbling against Luna's lips.

Luna shook her head with a smile. "I'll walk you to the Great Hall."

"Okay." Hermione smiled as they walked towards the castle hand in hand.

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><p><strong>AN: Thanks for reading, this is the end for this story I hope it met you're standards. Thanks for sticking with it. Leave a review please and I will be forever grateful. All my love- Roxi **


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